


Out of the Woods

by hazelNuts



Series: 1989 [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire, Angst, BAMF Allison, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt Allison, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Allison, Protective Laura, Tags might change, also known as canon!Allison, background Derek/Stiles, past peter/kate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-21
Packaged: 2018-03-15 17:43:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3456089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelNuts/pseuds/hazelNuts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A hunter and a werewolf getting into a relationship can be called brave at best. And the fact that Allison's parents don't know yet isn't that big of a problem. Until they get into a car accident. Allison's lying in the hospital and Laura can't leave her side, knowing that at some point Allison's parents will return.</p><p>Inspired by <i> Out of the Woods</i> by Taylor Swift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really bad at tagging. If you think I forgot any, please let me know in the comments.

Laura can’t move her feet. She knows she has to close the door before anyone sees her standing there. She’s not family. She’s not supposed to be here. Not to mention that if Allison’s family found her here, they’d shoot her.

Allison is too still, too pale. There is no smile on her face. There is no rosy blush on her cheeks. Her hair looks lank. But her heartbeat’s strong.

It’s the one thing that brings Laura a some comfort and hope. Through the beeping of the monitors and the smells of disinfectant and medication, she can still hear the girl’s heartbeat and catch her living scent.

She manages to shuffle far enough into the room to close the door behind her. Noiselessly, she walks to the chair standing next to the hospital bed. She winces when it creaks as she sits down. Like she doesn’t want to disturb the girl in the bed, make sure that she doesn’t wake up. Even though that’s the opposite of what she wants. There’s nothing in the world that she wants more than for Allison to wake up.

She takes Allison’s hand in her own, tries to find a lingering trace of pain, wanting to do something, anything, to help, but there’s nothing. The doctors know what they’re doing.

Laura looks down at the hand she’s holding. It’s not soft, like you’d expect from someone who looks like a Disney princess. Allison’s hands are calloused and scarred. The hands of a warrior.

She turns over the hand carefully. A smile tugs at her lips as she traces the white line of the scar she gave Allison the first time they’d met.

~

The wolf pads through the leafs. She’s searching for something, a smell, but there’s no trace of it. The creature is not here. She hopes the other members of her pack have better luck.

A leaf crunches under her paw. A playful growl escapes her throat. On second thought, perhaps she’s the lucky one.

Running around and rolling through the crunchy leafs, the wolf snaps at the ones flying through the air. And when all the crunchy leafs are gone, she takes off at a run. There is no reason why she shouldn’t let herself run free.

She runs until she gets to the creek at the edge of the preserve. Panting, she takes a few sips of the cool water. Maybe she should jump in. It’s not that cold, and if she runs back home, she’ll be dry before having to shift back.

The snapping of a twig changes her mind.

Twitching her ears, she tries to pinpoint the exact spot it came from. It’s only a couple feet back into the woods. She moves towards it. As she gets closer she catches a scent, a faint hint of jasmine with an undertone that’s familiar, but she can’t pinpoint it. She does know it’s not the creature she was looking for.

It’s a girl. A very pretty girl. She’s got brown, wavy hair and pale skin. She’s crouching, examining something on the forest floor. The wolf can smell the adrenaline thrumming through the girl’s veins, and the jasmine, when the wind the wind ruffles the girl’s hair. The combination of those two and the unknown scent is heady, and pulls the wolf in.

There’s another snap of a twig. Too late, the wolf realises that she’s the one who snapped it this time. She looks up and stares down the shaft of an arrow. Too late, she recognizes the unknown scent as gun oil.

The girl’s a hunter.

She can smell the fear, and hear the racing of the huntress’ heart. If she runs she will be shot. If she comes closer she’ll be shot. If she stays here, like this, the girl probably won’t shoot her, but other hunters, who’ll come looking for their pack member, will. There’s only one option left.

Not moving her eyes from the arrow point, the wolf shifts back into her human form. She stays low to the ground, ready to run if necessary.

‘Who are you?’ the huntress asks.

‘My name is Laura.’

The girl seems surprised to have gotten an answer.

‘What are you doing here?’

‘Probably the same as you. Looking for the wendigo.’

Again, the girl seems to be taken by surprise. She lowers her bow a little.

‘Did you find it?’

‘If I did, we would be having this conversation over a corpse. Or not at all,’ Laura points out.

The corner of the girl’s mouth ticks up, like she’s holding back a smile.

‘If I let you go what will you do?’

Laura shrugs her shoulders. ‘Go home, take a bath, watch _Hannibal_.’

This time the girl does laugh. It’s light and sweet, making her eyes light up and her cheeks dimple.

‘Okay.’

Laura turns and starts shifting back, when she catches a new smell that masks the one of the forest and the girl’s. It’s the sweet smell of spoiled meat, of a decomposing corpse. The smell of a wendigo. And it’s coming from right behind the girl.

There is no time to signal the huntress. Laura goes into her half-shift, growls and jumps.

At the sound of the growl, the huntress turns. She raises her bow and looses an arrow. The arrow hits its mark, just as the werewolf sets her teeth into the creatures throat. With a howl, Laura tears it out.

The wendigo drops towards the ground, Laura going with it. She screams when the impact makes the arrow sink deeper into her thigh.

‘Oh my god,’ the girl whispers.

Laura spits out as much of the wendigo’s flesh and blood as she can. It tastes even worse than it smells. Or maybe that’s the wolfsbane on the arrow.

She pulls it out and looks down at her thigh. The wound and the veins around it are already turning black.

‘Fuck,’ she growls out.

The girl kneels down next to her.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she says, tears in her voice. ‘I thought- I’m so sorry.’

‘It’ll be fine.’

‘How? There’s wolfsbane on that arrow.’

‘Do you have any more on you?’

‘Yeah, but how-‘

‘Burn it.’

The girl doesn’t react for a moment, but then does what Laura tells without question. She grabs a couple of the purple leafs from a pouch on her belt and with a lighter she pulls out of her pocket, she burns them.

‘A real girl scout,’ Laura can’t help but smile. ‘Always prepared.’

‘The girl scouts were boring,’ the huntress smiles back. ‘The game was too small.’

‘Not enough teeth I bet.’

That sparkle of mirth in the girl’s eyes is back, making Laura forget about the pain her leg.

‘What now?’ the huntress asks when the petals are burnt to ashes.

‘Put it in the wound.’

The ashes burn worse than the poison. Laura can feel the fire travel through her, looking for leftover traces of wolfsbane. She grits her teeth and instinctively grabs for the girl’s hand.

It doesn’t last for more than a few seconds, but it’s enough for her to know she will be avoiding wolfsbane at all cost. For the rest of her life.

Looking down at her leg, she’s relieved to see that it’s already healing. When she examines it though, she sees there’s blood on one of her hands. It’s not hers and it’s definitely not the wendigo’s.

‘Fuck, I’m so sorry.’

‘Don’t worry,’ the huntress grimaces. She pulls a couple bandages from somewhere and wraps up her hand. ‘Always prepared, remember?’

‘How many pockets do you have?’

‘More than you.’

Laura looks down at herself and realizes that she’s completely naked. She feels her ears heating up and is very grateful for her long hair, right now. She moves to all fours and shifts back into her wolf.

The girl looks on in amazement.

‘That’s really cool. You okay to get home?’

The wolf nods. She’s not sure she should go home, though. There’s still a de-throated wendigo to take care of.

‘Don’t worry about that thing. I’ll take care of that. Go take your bath and watch _Hannibal_.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


	2. It All Seemed So Simple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really bad at tagging. If you think I forgot any, please let me know in the comments.

She puts Allison’s hand back down on the covers, but keeps her own hand on top of it. She can pretend it’s to make sure that she can drain away any pain that manages to break through the wall of painkillers, but it’s not the truth. The truth is that Laura’s afraid to stop touching her. As if, if there’s no physical connection between them, if she’s not holding the girl down, Allison will be lost to her.

She looks up at Allison’s face. It’s too still. There’s always a dimple or frown to be found. The line between her eyebrows when she’s concentrating. The little crinkle at the corner of her left eye when she’s aiming her arrows.

Allison’s face has been this blank only once. At the time, Laura had promised to never make that happen again. Yet here they are.

She’d made a lot of promises. Most of them she’s managed to keep. Like making Allison laugh at least once a day and never leaving without saying ‘I love you’. In fact, there’s only one other promise she’d utterly failed to keep.

While running back home after that first meeting, she’d promised to be naked in front of the girl again within two weeks.

~

Her family isn’t happy when she comes home smelling of wendigo and wolfsbane. She explains what happened, tells them everything is fine, but her mother still orders her to rest for at least a week. Grudgingly, she stays human and inside.

Laura loves being a werewolf. She loves running through the woods, alone or with others from the pack. She loves her heightened senses and her strength. And by the end of the week her wolf is howling to be let loose again.

Unfortunately, they have  family coming over. So instead of running through the preserve, Laura  has to go grocery shopping with her brother.

‘I don’t know why you can’t do this with Cora,’ she complains loudly.

‘Because she’d sneak off with the money and buy nothing but ice-cream,’ Derek answers, dumping three giant bags of pasta into the cart.

‘It’s not like anyone would mind eating only ice-cream for three days.’

‘You’re just mad, because you lost a week of looking for that girl.’

‘Shut up,’ she mutters under her breath. Not that it matters, Derek can hear her perfectly. She goes one aisle over, before she gives in to the urge to punch that smirk off his face.

The scents of jasmine and gun oil hit her and she whips her head up.

The huntress is standing a few feet away, looking at her, seemingly unsure if she should approach or not. Laura smiles at her and the girl’s shoulders drop in relief.

‘Hey,’ Laura greets her.

‘Hi. I see you’re all better.’

‘I was all better by the time I got out of the bathtub.’

‘Good.’

The girl shifts a little awkwardly on her feet. There’s obviously something that she wants to get off her chest. Laura waits patiently for her to find the words.

‘I still feel really bad about what happened. Is there any way I can make it up to you?’

‘You have nothing to feel bad about. I’m perfectly fine. And technically I did jump you,’ Laura assures her. ‘But if you really want to make it up to me, I guess you could go get coffee with me some time.’

Holding her breath, she waits for the answer. It’s a bold move. The girl’s a hunter, probably from a hunter family. And Laura is the next in line to be Alpha of her pack. It’s not just bold, it’s a little stupid.

‘Really?’ the girl smiles. ‘I’d love to.’

‘Tomorrow good?’

‘Tomorrow’s great.’

‘I’ll see you at _Joe’s_ at two?’

‘Perfect.’

The girl’s smile has grown a little wider with each word and Laura feels her cheeks aching from her own answering smile.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow then.’ She starts to turn around, but then remembers something. ‘Wait. I don’t know you’re name.’

‘It’s Allison,’ the girl says and walks away.

When she’s back at her brother’s side, he looks at her like she’s grown a second head.

‘Did you seriously just ask a hunter on a date?’

‘Yes.’

‘The same hunter who shot you?’

‘Yes.’

‘Why?’

‘She’s cute,’ she answers with a smirk. He frowns at her. It’s the same answer he’d given when she’d asked him why on earth he was dating someone who almost blew up the school, and Deaton’s office, and his _car_.

~

The coffee date goes really well. It’s followed by a dinner, a movie, a picnic, a very awkward meeting with Laura’s family, and the slightly less awkward revelation that most of Allison’s friends are part of the Hale-pack.

Laura doesn’t get naked in front of Allison again for another month, though. Allison’s parents are attending a gun-convention in Texas, and the girls have the house to themselves. In the month they’ve been dating, they’ve never been really alone. There’s always someone else at Hale-house, and it’s not like Laura can drop by the Argents any time she wants to.

They’re on the couch, watching a movie Laura’s not paying any attention to. She’s completely focused on the girl that’s got her arms around her. She’s tracing figures on the back of Allison’s hand, the light touches making Allison’s heartbeat and scent spike. It’s very entertaining.

‘Hey, Laura?’ Allison begins. ‘Do you think Darryl will kill Jaime before the end of the movie?’

‘Probably.’ She has no idea what she’s talking about.

‘You’re not even watching the movie are you?’ the girl laughs, pulling back a little.

‘I’m not even sure what the title is,’ Laura admits.

Allison grabs the remote and turns everything off. ‘Me neither.’

Laura turns around to burrow into her girlfriend’s neck. She likes it there. She smells and hears nothing but _Allison_ there.

She’s starting to doze off, when she hears the shutter of a camera.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Stiles doesn’t believe that you’re adorable.’

‘Good. It’s how I make sure he does my bidding.’

‘Too late. It’s already sent.’

With an indignant huff Laura grabs the phone out of Allison’s hand. She needs to delete the incriminating evidence.

It is a great picture. Her face isn’t really visible, it’s half hidden by her hair and Allison’s shoulder, but it’s obvious she’s smiling. Allison is the best part of it, though. She’s not looking at the camera, but down at Laura. There’s a soft smile on her face, and her eyes, her eyes are adoring, looking at Laura like she’s the most precious thing on earth.

‘I love you.’

She not sure what she expects, but it’s not Allison throwing her phone on the floor and climbing on top of her.

‘I love you too,’ the girl whispers before locking their lips together.

Allison is an amazing kisser.

Their first kiss was outside the coffee shop. Laura hadn’t seen it coming and froze. Allison had apologized, thinking she’d misinterpreted the entire date. Laura had assured her that she hadn’t, and the girl had left smiling.

Their second kiss was by Laura’s car after they’d had dinner at Beacon Hill’s only sushi restaurant. This time she’d been a little more prepared. So when Allison pressed their lips together, Laura had pulled her in. It was short and sweet, and left her smiling the entire drive home.

Their third kiss was a revelation. They were waiting in line at the movie theatre, when Allison had pulled on her hand, declaring she needed to use the bathroom. And before she realized what was happening, Laura was being shoved up against one of the stalls and kissed breathless.

By now, they’ve shared hundreds of kisses, and she’s been shoved against dozens of surfaces. Some of those kisses were short and sweet. Some of them were hot and heavy, leaving them both gasping for breath.

‘If I start running upstairs, to my bedroom, will you chase me?’ Allison asks.

Laura barely gets out her ‘yes’, before Allison starts running.

~

They’re lying tangled on top of the mess that was Allison’s neatly made bed not that long ago.

‘We should change the sheets,’ Allison mumbles against Laura’s shoulder.

‘Why?’

‘Because they’re kind of gross.’

‘No, they’re evidence of your very talented fingers. And they smell like _us_. I like it.’

‘You’re so weird,’ the girl huffs out. It probably sounds fonder than she means to.

‘I’m hungry,’ Laura corrects her.

Allison pushes herself up and walks toward her closet. Laura watches in admiration. There are bites, nail marks and hickeys all over the girl’s body. The ones on Laura  have already faded. It’s the only thing she doesn’t like about being a werewolf.

‘Stop staring,’ Allison says and throws a pair of shorts and a tank top in her face.

Laura laughs. She holds up the two items, looking at them like they’ve offended her.

‘What am I supposed to do with these?’

‘Wear them. We’re getting food and your nakedness is distracting.’

‘Really?’ Laura asks, eyebrows quirking up. She stretches her body, enjoying the flush on Allison’s cheeks. She keeps watching her girlfriend until she’s out of the room.

She pulls on the shorts and tank reluctantly. But when she comes downstairs to Allison making her eggs and toast, she thinks it’s totally worth it.

The clothes hit Allison’s bedroom floor an hour later, and they stay there for the rest of the weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


	3. Built to Fall Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really bad at tagging. If you think I forgot any, please let me know in the comments.

She listens to the sounds of the hospital while holding on to Allison’s hand. Footsteps in the hallway, sometimes running, sometimes walking. Pagers going off. The beeping of all the machines. The buzzing of the lights. The ticking of the clocks. Far away a family sighs in relief when they get some good news. A few rooms over, a couple is crying over their lost child. The sirens of ambulances leaving and arriving. A desperate woman yelling at the doctors, begging them to save her husband. The awkward _tack-step_ of people walking on crutches. The squeak of a wheel that needs oiling.

They’re oddly soothing, the good and the bad. They keep her grounded to the room, make sure she doesn’t get lost in her memories.

She doesn’t really listen for anyone approaching Allison’s room. It’s night-time, there are no visiting hours until morning, and as long as Allison stays unconscious the nurses will only check up on her every couple of hours to take her temperature and change the I.V..

Laura doesn’t pick the sound of heavy boots approaching the door out of all the others. She doesn’t even register that the door is opening until it’s too late and Chris Argent is standing in the doorway.

For a moment they stare at each other. Then Argent closes the door and pulls a switchblade out of his pocket.

Laura looks around. There’s nowhere to go. The only way out is the door, and that’s being blocked by a very angry father. It wouldn’t be difficult to overpower him and run out, but that could disturb Allison. She’d have to let go of Allison’s hand. Instead, she waits.

‘What are you doing here?’ the hunter grits out.

‘I’m watching over her.’

‘Why?’

She’s not sure what to say. Because she loves her. Because she failed to keep her save. Because it’s the only place that makes sense for her to be. They’re all correct. But the words don’t come out. Looking at Allison’s still face, all the fear and anguish she’d tried to keep in check rush to the surface and tears start streaming down her face.

‘It’s you,’ Argent whispers. ‘You’re the girl.’

Laura nods.

‘I’ll get you some water and paper towels. And maybe I can find myself some whiskey.’

She can’t help but think that was a lot less violent than she’d expected.

~

They’re at the Hale-house. Laura’s helping Allison with a History essay on the French Revolution. Allison doesn’t really need any help, but neither of them admits to that, or cares. They’re enjoying each other’s company too much.

‘I need exercise,’ Allison declares.

‘Well, I know something we can do,’ Laura grins.

‘I meant a walk.’

Laura ducks the pen being thrown at her, laughing.

Sometimes she doesn’t understand how she got so lucky. Allison loves the outdoors as much as she does. They run and hunt together, always challenging each other to be better. Like right now, she’s chasing after Allison, trying to pin the huntress against a tree. It’s perfect.

Or almost perfect. Because, even though the Hales have accepted the huntress into their folds, Allison’s parents still don’t know about Laura after three months.

‘Hey, Alli. Can I ask you something?’ she asks as they’re walking back to the house.

‘Sure.’

‘Don’t you think it’s time we told your parents?’

‘Laura, please,’ Allison says, sounding small.

It’s a touchy subject, Laura knows this. With the history, not just between hunters and werewolves, but between their families as well.

‘I know you’re scared. I’m not sure of what, but whatever it is, we can handle it.’

Allison sits down on a tree stump, letting her head fall into her hands. ‘After everything with Kate and Peter, I just- I’m scared for _you.’_

‘I can take care of myself,’ Laura assures her, kneeling in front of her and pulling Allison’s hands from her face. ‘And you’ll be there. I know I’m safe with you.’

Allison gives her a rue smile. ‘But what if you’re not? Mom and dad lost some of their- extremism, after. But they’re not going to be happy about this. What if they hurt you or your family?’

‘Then we’ll deal with it. We’ll tell my mom and she’ll know to be careful.’

Allison shakes her head. Grief and fear are coming off her in waves.

‘Allison, what’s really going on?’

‘I can’t lose someone else.’

‘You won’t lose me.’

The girl jumps up at that. It’s so unexpected that Laura barely manages to catch herself when she tumbles backwards.

‘Not just you. What if I lose _them_? What if they never want to see me again? I can’t-‘ Allison nearly chokes on her distress. ‘I _can’t._ ’

The girl takes off at a run. Laura lets her go. She hadn’t even thought of that. She’d never thought that maybe Allison’s parents would cast off their daughter, the way their family had cast them off.

~

When she gets back to the house, Allison’s car and her stuff are gone.

‘What happened?’ Talia asks.

Laura just shakes her head.

‘Are you two going to be okay?’

‘I don’t know,’ Laura sighs.

She waits all night for a text, a call, an email. Anything. But there’s nothing. In the end she decides to call Lydia.

‘Just give her some time,’ she says. ‘She needs to think some things over.’

‘Okay,’ Laura says.

Even though it’s not okay. She’s terrified. What if Allison decides she’s not worth it?

She doesn’t sleep much that night. She tosses and turns, trying to think of a solution, but nothing comes to mind. The only thing that would make their problem go away, was if Laura could stop being a werewolf.

When sunlight starts peeking through her curtains, Laura jumps out of bed. She needs a run, but she doesn’t turn. She’s never hated her wolf more than now. There were times when it was inconvenient, like in high school, but she’s never wanted it gone before.

She runs without thinking. She lets the branches whip against her face and arms. She twists and turns on instinct, jumping over roots, fallen trees, and little streams. She runs until her legs start hurting, and then she runs faster. Her heart feels like it’s beating out of her chest, her throat’s on fire and her head is about to explode.

She collapses against a tree, slides down to the ground and closes her eyes. She waits until the pains subside.

There’s water running nearby, and when she looks up, she realizes she’s at the spot she first met Allison. She pushes herself up, grimacing when her legs protest at being asked to hold her weight. This will hurt tomorrow. Even a werewolf can get sore muscle ones in a while.

Sitting next to the creek, Laura waits for the sun to go down. She doesn’t want to go home. Her family will ask where she’s been and she has no desire to talk just yet.

But it seems she doesn’t have a choice. She hears the snapping of twigs and leafs crunching, the sounds of someone approaching. She could walk away, start running again, but there’s no energy left in her body.

When the person is right behind her, Laura turns to tell them to fuck off. She’s expecting Derek, or maybe her mother, but it’s Allison who steps out of the treeline.

‘I thought I’d find you here,’ the girl says, sitting down next to her. She slips her hand into Laura’s and it’s like a weight is lifted from her shoulders. They’ll be okay.

‘I’m going to ask you to do something for me. And I need you to say yes.’

Laura frowns, but nods anyway. She has no idea what the question will be, but there’s not much she wouldn’t do for Allison.

‘I need you to not bring it up again.’

She’s about to protest, but Allison holds up her hand.

‘We’ll tell my parents. I promise, but I need you to let me decide when. I need to- prepare them. They don’t even know I’m dating a _girl_.’

‘I resent that. I’m clearly a woman,’ Laura smirks.

‘That you are,’ Allison smiles at her and squeezes her hand. ‘Do you promise?’

‘Can you promise me something in return? Do it before you go to college. I’d hate for you to still carry all this when you’re supposed be starting your future.’

‘I promise.’

‘Me too.’

They stay there until the sun has disappeared behind the trees and it’s starting to get chilly. The days are getting warmer, but traces of winter can still be felt at night.

‘We should really get back,’ Allison murmurs.

‘You’re going to have to help me with that.’

Allison gets up and raises her eyebrows when Laura groans loudly at being pulled upright.

‘What the hell did you do?’ the girl laughs.

‘I went for a run,’ Laura says. She tries to shrug her shoulders, but it hurts too much.

‘Come on. My car’s not that far away,’ Allison says, still laughing. She wraps an arm around her girlfriend’s waist and helps the sore werewolf through the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


	4. A Hospital Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really bad at tagging. If you think I forgot any, please let me know in the comments.

A couple minutes later, Argent returns with two cups and a box of tissues.

‘Found the whiskey?’ she asks.

‘No, but there’s always rubbing alcohol if the need grows too strong.’

Laura smiles at that. It sounds like something Allison would say. She takes the box and the cup, putting them on the little table next to the bed. She wipes away her tears, and tries to blow her nose one-handed. It doesn’t really go that well.

Argent is still standing. His eyes are locked on where her hand is holding Allison’s.

She squeezes a little tighter. She has no idea what the man is going to do. He smells like anger, grief and wolfsbane. The scents set her teeth on edge.

He surprises her by putting his chair next to hers. He sits down, but doesn’t talk. Like he’s evaluating the thousands of questions whirling inside his head, trying to decide which are important and which are irrelevant.

Laura lets her focus drift back to Allison’s heartbeat. It’s still steady. She can feel a bit of pain resurfacing, though, and she takes it before it can register in the girl’s mind, before there’s a blip in her heartbeat.

There is a blip in the heartbeat of the man next to her. She doubts he knows what the blackening veins mean. But when the machines don’t go off, no nurses start rushing in, his heartbeat goes back to normal.

‘Thank you,’ he eventually says.

Laura looks up at him in surprise. From all the words in the English language, she hadn’t expected those two to come out.

‘After the trial, after the move here, we lost her. She became hard. She didn’t smile. She stopped trying to find a hobby that would stick. She simply trained and studied. She tried, but we knew that losing her aunt, or the aunt she thought she had, shut something off inside her. That light she’d always carried.

‘When she became friends with Lydia, and later Stiles and Scott, it started to come back a little. She would go out and sometimes we could hear her a smile in her voice when she was talking on the phone. But with us, she was strictly business. I think she blamed us for not seeing what Kate was.

‘At the beginning of the year, she was coming back to us. She finally painted her room. She went shopping. She came home smiling more often and sometimes that smile wouldn’t disappear for days. We suspected she’d met someone, but we figured she’d tell us on her own terms. She was happy and we were just so relieved.

‘Then, in April she came home really upset. Victoria nearly grabbed her gun, intent on making whoever had upset her little girl pay. The next day she was better, but it seemed like she was avoiding us again. Eventually we asked her if something had happened. She sat us down at the table, told us there was something she wanted to tell us. We thought she was going to tell us she was pregnant, but she just sat there.’

Laura smiles a little, and looks at Allison’s now still face. She can picture it easily. Allison sitting at one side of the table, not being able to sit still from the nerves. When faced with an insane vampire the girl had nerves of steel, but she would almost explode from nerves when faced with ‘normal’ problems.

‘After a couple minutes, she just blurted out she was dating a girl,’ Argent continues. ‘I can’t tell you how relieved we were. She didn’t tell us much else. Just that she was a couple years older and lived in Beacon Hills. We told her we’d love to meet her. But she told us it was better to wait. We asked if that was her girlfriend’s idea, but she said that it wasn’t. That her girlfriend really wanted to meet us, but that _she_ needed some time.

‘We were okay to let it go at the moment. We’d keep an eye on her, make sure she’d stay happy. And she did. We got our daughter back. She started whistling. It’s horrible, completely off key.’

Laura laughs softly, because it’s true. Allison can’t whistle. It’s shrill and almost painful sometimes to her sensitive ears, but she loves it. The first time she heard it, they were doing the dishes together. Peter had yelled to shut that dog whistle up, but Laura had given the girl a kiss and nodded at her to continue.

It feels like someone stabbed her in the stomach when she realizes she might never hear that whistle again.

‘I’m sorry,’ she says around the lump in her throat.

‘For what?’

‘For not keeping her safe.’

‘Were you driving?’

She shook her head.

‘Did you pull on the steering wheel? Distract her?’

She shook her head again.

‘But you were in the car?’

She nodded.

‘What happened?’

‘She was driving me home. A deer jumped out onto the road. Allison slammed on the brakes and jerked the wheel. We flipped. When I came to, she was already unconscious. I couldn’t hear any sirens and I had no idea how long I’d been out, so I called an ambulance. My phone was smashed. It’s why Allison’s has 911 as her last call.

‘I was already healing, but I couldn’t reach her. She was bleeding and her heartbeat was slowing down. I freaked out.’

‘The claw marks inside the car.’

She nods in confirmation. ‘Eventually I got myself out. I stopped the bleeding as much as I could, took what pain I could find. When the ambulance arrived I hid in the trees, watched them take her to the hospital. I ran through the woods, trying to get here before the ambulance.’

‘I thought you’re brother drove you.’

‘Why would you think that?’ Laura asks. What the hell does Derek have to do with this?

‘I saw him sitting in his car.’

She shrugs her shoulders. ‘Maybe Stiles blew something up again.’

Argent frowns, and she realizes what she’s just said. She turns to warn him off. But he’s there first.

‘Don’t worry. Your brother’s love life is none of my concern.’

She sighs in relief.

‘My daughter’s love life, however, is.’

Laura braces herself. This could be the point where he warns her off. Or where Allison loses her parents.

‘Since when?’

Or maybe neither.

‘Since the wendigo. She shot me, I killed the creature. It was an incredible bonding experience.’

Argent throws her a surprised look. ‘She shot you and you still went out with her.’

‘She wanted to make it up, so I asked her on a date,’ Laura shrugs.

‘I’m not sure if I think you two are brave or stupid. A werewolf and a hunter dating,’ Argent says a little stunned, shaking his head.

‘All bravery comes with a bit of stupidity. At least, according to my mom.’

They laps back into silence for a while. Laura holding Allison’s hand. Argent sipping his coffee.

She wishes her mom was here right now. With every moment she feels a little more untethered. The talking helps in a way, but it also reminds her of what she’s going to miss if Allison doesn’t wake up.

‘Does your family know you’re here?’

‘If Derek’s here, they do. I probably left a trail of distress a mile wide.’

Argent nods, looking thoughtful.

‘I have so many questions. I’m not sure where to start.’

‘You can start anywhere.’

He opens his mouth to ask a question, but a blip in Allison’s heartbeat makes them turn their heads.

The conversation had distracted Laura from draining away the pain. She can feel the little spikes traveling through her arm and then slowly fade to nothing. It takes a while before all the pain is gone and there are a couple more skips in Allison’s heartbeat, but soon everything is stable again.

‘What did you do?’ Argent asks, pointing to were her veins are still black.

‘She was hurting. I took it.’

‘Isn’t it easier to call for a nurse.’

‘Perhaps,’ Laura admits. ‘But right now, it’s the only thing I can do for her.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


	5. Like We Stood a Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really bad at tagging. If you think I forgot any, please let me know in the comments.

Argent is calling his wife, telling her he’s spending the night at the hospital, just in case Allison wakes up. Laura knows it’s because he has so many more questions. There will be some she can’t answer. And some she won’t know the answer to, but she’ll try. Despite everything their families went through, she’s comforted by his presence. It feels steady and safe. Like everything is going to be okay.

It’s the same kind of feeling she gets around Allison. She’s realizing how much her girlfriend gets from her father. They’re both calm and assessing, Allison perhaps a little more rash, but it only makes the girl try harder. Neither of them is quick to judge. They’ve both given her a chance they had no reason to give. She’s still unsure of how this is going to end, but she hopes it ends well. She likes him.

When he comes back, Argent is carrying two freshly brewed cups of coffee from the coffee shop across the street.

‘I have no idea if caffeine works for you guys, but if it does, I figured you could use some.’

‘It doesn’t really, but thank you.’

She takes her cup gratefully, enjoying the warmth that seeps through the cardboard into her hand.

‘Is she still in pain,’ he asks, nodding at where some of her veins are flashing black.

‘A little. She probably wouldn’t even notice it.’

‘I’ll tell Victoria tomorrow.’

Laura nods. She knew it would have to be soon. There is no way the woman isn’t going to notice that Laura Hale is hanging around the hospital.

‘I’ll talk to her in the morning. Can you come by in the afternoon?’

She frowns. It sounds like he wants her to leave.

He puts a hand on her arm. ‘You can’t stay here all night, Laura. You need to rest. You’ve done everything you could.’

‘I know. It’s just,’ she tries to swallow away the tears. ‘I’m afraid to let go.’

Argent slides his hand underneath hers.

‘I’ll hold on. I’m not letting go.’

Laura nods. One by one, she unclenches her fingers, and lets go. It’s strange not to be holding something after having held Allison’s hand for the past few hours.

‘Take Allison’s phone. I’ll call you if anything changes,’ Argent promises.

She walks out of the hospital room. She keeps listening to Allison’s heartbeat for as long as she can. She doesn’t notice she’s stopped walking, standing still when she knows that taking one more step will take her out of range.

‘Laura,’ Derek says. He’s right next to her, his voice soft and gentle. He wraps an arm around her and takes away the coffee cup she’s still holding. ‘Let’s go home.’

~

Nobody says anything when they get home. Her mom gives her a hug and even Peter squeezes her hand. She goes straight upstairs after that. She wants to be alone.

She puts Allison’s phone on the nightstand, within easy reach, and lies down. She doesn’t expect to get any sleep.

A couple hours later the sound of a phone ringing wakes her up. She’s goes to prod Allison to pick up her phone, before she realizes that Allison isn’t there. Just the phone.

‘Yes?’ she answers it.

‘She’s awake.’

‘I’ll be there in twenty minutes.’

She hangs up and slips on her shoes. She grabs the keys to the Camaro on her way out. It’s the fastest car. Derek will understand.

When Laura gets to the hospital, she runs up the stairs to Allison’s floor, too nervous to take the elevator. On the drive over she’d realized that Mrs. Argent would be there too. She hopes she’ll be allowed inside the room.

She skids to a stop in front of the room where Allison was unconscious only a few hours ago. Now, aside from the beeping of the machines, voices fill that room. They sound happy.

She waits just out of sight of the room. She doesn’t want to disturb them. They almost lost their daughter. At the same time, Laura wants nothing more than to rush into the room, throw herself on top of her girlfriend and never let go.

After a few minutes of waiting, Victoria Argent appears in the doorway. She scans Laura up and down, like she’s appraising a piece of furniture. She appears to agree with what sees, because she nods sharply steps up to Laura and holds out her hand.

‘Thank you,’ the woman says a little stiffly.

‘You should go in,’ Argent says from behind his wife. ‘She asked for you.’

Laura pulls her hand out of Mrs. Argents tight grip. Taking a deep breath, she steps into the room, where Allison is waiting for her with a smile on her face. The girl tries to wave, but the I.V.’s in the way. The offended look on her face makes Laura laugh.

‘You look pretty when you laugh,’ Allison says excitedly.

‘Thank you.’

‘I don’t look very pretty, but they won’t let me shower.’

‘You always look gorgeous,’ Laura assures her. She takes Allison’s hand, sitting down in the chair she’d occupied earlier, but Allison shakes her head.

‘You have to sit next to me,’ Allison states, patting the little bit of free space next to her.

‘Okay.’

Laura sits down on the bed. The only way to stay there is to wrap her arm around her girlfriend. Allison cuddles into her side.

‘I knew you’d have to do that,’ she smirks.

Laughing, Laura buries her face in the girl’s hair. She still smells a little like blood, and a lot like medication, but her own scent is coming through as well.

‘I like it when you have your arms around me,’ Allison continues. ‘Like when we were dancing.’

Laura smiles at the memory. It had been their six month anniversary and she’d decided to surprise her.

~

Laura jumps onto the roof next to Allison’s window. It’s not a brilliant idea. She’s going to sneak into a sleeping hunter’s bedroom, but that’s part of the fun. She checks the window. It’s shut but not locked. Pushing it open slowly, she’s careful not to make a sound. She has plans of how she wants to wake up her girlfriend.

She puts her hands and feet on the windowsill and falls into the room with yelp. Her muscles are twitching and her foot thumps on the floor a couple times.

‘Laura?’ Allison says, sounding sleepy.

‘You electrified your window?’ Laura does her best to sound angry, but she can’t help feeling a little proud.

Allison’s smiling face appears above her.

‘Yep. I’m trying to protect my virtue from prowling, hot werewolves.’

She snorts. Out of the two of them, Laura was the one who needed her virtue protected. A girl with dimples like that, should not have such a dirty mind. But Laura was glad she did.

She hears someone moving in the hallway.

‘Your parents,’ she hisses.

Allison grabs her under her arms and pulls her behind her bed and out of sight. Just in time.

Victoria Argent opens the door, gun in hand.

‘Allison, honey, everything okay?’

‘Just opening my window. It’s a little stuck. It could be the sensors. I’ll look at it tomorrow.’

Laura holds her breath and prays to all the werewolf gods to make her foot stop twitching. One thump and it’s a bullet in the head for her. In the shoulder if she’s lucky. But Allison convinces her mom that everything’s alright, and Laura relaxes a bit.

She drags herself on top of the bed and spread-eagles out on her stomach, waiting to regain full control over her muscles. She feels her boots being pulled off her feet, and then the mattress dips next her. A hand starts stroking her hair and she hums contentedly.

‘What are you doing here?’ Allison whispers. There is still a trace of laughter in her voice.

‘Happy anniversary.’

‘Happy anniversary,’ Allison chuckles back. ‘You’re so weird.’

‘We’ve established that months ago.’

Allison lies down next to her, her head on Laura’s arm and one leg thrown over her butt.

‘So what did you have planned?’

‘A dance. But I’m pretty my iPod’s fried.’

‘Sorry.’

‘At least now I’m sure you’ll be safe at night.’

Allison chuckles again.

Laura closes her eyes, enjoying the scents and sounds of Allison. The smell of jasmine is strong on the pillow. She burrows in a little and inhales deeply.

‘I could check. Where’d you put it?’

‘Back pocket.’

She hums again when she feels Allison groping her butt a little.

‘If you wanted me to touch your butt you only had to ask,’ the girl whispers.

‘I know, but this is _so_ much more fun.’

‘It’s fine,’ Allison declares, after pulling it out and turning it on.

‘Great. I still can’t control my leg, though. So we won’t be dancing just yet.’

‘But we _can_ listen to music.’

Allison has to hide her face in her sheets to muffle her laughter when she puts on _Hungry Like the Wolf_. Laura laughs too. She can’t help it. It’s ridiculous and not even that funny, but she’s happy, they’re both happy. She got electrified by her girlfriend’s window, her leg still feels a little twitchy and they have to stay quiet so there won’t be two angry hunters barging in on them, but this is the happiest she’s ever been.

They listen until Laura declares herself stable.

‘I think I’m okay now.’

Allison’s rolls off of her and pulls her upright. They look around the room. It’s not that big and there’s a lot of furniture.

‘We’re going to have to move some of these things,’ Allison says.

They move all the furniture against the walls. There are a few tense moments where they both freeze and hold their breath, waiting for one of Allison’s parents to show their face. But after fifteen minutes, there is some space in the middle of the room and no parent has shown up.

Laura looks up the right [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLrg4cyF2a4). She found it by accident. When she heard it, her mind kept slipping back to Allison. About where they are, and where she would like them go. She presses play and pulls her girlfriend close. Leaning her forehead against Allison’s, she starts swaying them around the little bit of space they’ve created and closes her eyes.

For a couple minutes there is nothing but them and the soft voice of the singer. She can hear the steady beat of Allison’s heart, beating in time with hers. She feels Allison’s hand slip under her t-shirt and a thumb starts rubbing small circles on her back. She can smell nothing but jasmine, with a hint of gun oil.

Even when the song is over, they don’t move away from each other. They stay like that, foreheads pressed together, breathing each other’s breaths, pretending the rest of the world doesn’t exist.

‘I want to tell them this week,’ Allison whispers.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay.’

It takes another two songs for them to pull apart. And even then, they don’t let go completely. Allison pulls her onto the bed. She makes quick work of Laura’s jeans and bra, and then wraps herself around her.

They fall asleep like that. The hunter wrapped around her werewolf. The last thought that goes through Laura’s head before she falls asleep, is that Allison’s parents are going to have some questions about the furniture tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


	6. When the Sun Came Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really bad at tagging. If you think I forgot any, please let me know in the comments.

They stay like that for a long time. Allison resting her head against Laura’s shoulder and snoring softly. Laura’s arm is numb, but she doesn’t care. All she cares about is that Allison’s going to be okay. She looks down at her girlfriend, who’s got a soft smile on her lips. Like she’s remembering all their good times, unconcerned about the future.

Laura can see the Argents sitting in the hallway. So far, they’ve reacted well, but there’s no telling what they’ll do once Allison’s out of hospital. They’re talking, keeping their voices low. Low enough that the wolf can’t catch what they’re saying. But by the looks they shoot her, she’s guessing it’s about her.

After an hour, a nurse decides it’s time to check Allison’s status and shoos Laura out of the room. Allison’s not happy with it, and half-conscious, clings to her girlfriend’s shirt. It takes a kiss and a promise that Laura will be back, for her to let go.

Laura looks back as she steps out of the room, so she doesn’t see the hand that grabs her arm and pulls her around the corner. She doesn’t struggle, but lets Mrs. Argent shove her up against the wall and push an arm against her chest to hold her still. A knife is pressed against her throat. Not hard enough to draw blood, but it definitely stings. Laura smells the wolfsbane it’s been laced with.

‘Listen very carefully, _wolf_ ,’ the woman hisses. ‘You brought me back my daughter. You saved her life. She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her. The moment that stops, if you ever hurt her, I will hurt you in ways you can’t even begin to imagine.’

She probably shouldn’t smile when she’s being threatened, but Laura can’t stop the way a corner of her mouth ticks up.

‘You think I’m joking? You think I won’t keep my promise? Because that’s what it is.’

Laura starts to shake her head, but decides that’s a bad idea with the knife still at her throat.

‘No,’ she says. ‘You just sound a lot like my mom. It’s how I know you’re serious.’

Mrs. Argent squints her eyes at her. For a moment, the pressure on Laura’s throat increases, but then, in the blink of an eye, the knife is gone and the woman is standing two feet away.

~

‘Relax,’ Laura whispers to the nervous girl sitting next to her.

‘Are you kidding me?’ Allison whispers back. ‘I’m meeting your mother. An Alpha. I’m a hunter. An _Argent_. She’s going to kill me.’

Laura chuckles and kisses her lightly. ‘She wouldn’t do that. Not with me here, anyway.’

She gets a frown and a smack against her leg for that.

They’ve only been dating for about two weeks. The only person who’d known was Derek, and he’d been sworn to secrecy. Laura had hoped to last a month before her family would notice something, but after their movie date, it had been really obvious. In Derek’s words, she’d looked like a deranged lunatic when she came home that night. Her family had started bombarding her with questions. She’d managed to evade them all, and had almost reached the safety of her room when her mother had intercepted her.

It hadn’t taken Talia long to get the entire story out of her. She’d been furious at first, reminding her of what had happened to her uncle. But when Laura had very firmly told her Allison wasn’t like that, and that she couldn’t just judge someone on something a singular family member had done, Talia had relaxed a little. And then said she was going to meet Allison on Saturday at lunch. They could pick the restaurant.

So now, the two girls are waiting for the Alpha to arrive. Allison hasn’t stopped moving the entire time. And Laura’s pretty sure that if she hadn’t insisted on sitting on the outside of the booth, the girl would have bolted already.

‘Hey,’ she says, squeezing Allison’s hand. ‘You have nothing to worry about. If your intentions are honourable, that is.’

Allison’s gaze heats for a second, and is no doubt about to reply with something that will leave Laura in a state she doesn’t want to be in, in front of her mother, but instead a voice next to them says, ‘Let’s hope for everyone, that they are.’

Allison jumps a little at Talia’s sudden appearance, but quickly recovers her composure.

‘Hey mom,’ Laura sighs. Her family can be so dramatic sometimes.

‘Hello Mrs. Hale,’ Allison nods.

‘Hello Laura. Hello Allison,’ Talia greets them back. She holds out her hand for the girl to shake. Allison doesn’t hesitate and takes it in a firm grip. ‘It’s nice to meet you.’

The woman slides into the booth and waves the waitress over. Food first, then business.

They don’t talk much while they’re eating. Her mom asks Allison some questions about school, and her hobbies, leaving the more serious subjects for later.

So far it seems to be going well, but Laura knows that could change any moment. She knows her mother will have to ask about what happened with Kate and Peter. Not that the Alpha doesn’t know, but she needs to know where Allison stands. She senses that Allison knows it too, because the emptier their plates become, the more the girl slips into what Laura has started calling, her ‘huntress-mode’.

Her posture is straight, though more alert than stiff. Her heartrate is low, like it can only be if you want it to. Her breaths are slow and silent. Her face is completely still, devoid of emotion. It doesn’t suit her. Allison’s supposed to be soft and lively. Even when she was pointing an arrow in Laura’s face, her kindness had been right underneath the surface.

Laura’s silently begging her mother to just ask the question. She doesn’t know what to do, how to comfort Allison and let her know it’ll be okay.

Finally, their plates have been cleared from the table and all they have left are their drinks. Her mom’s face turns serious.

‘Allison, I understand this isn’t a pleasant topic and you’d rather not talk about it, but I have to ask,’ the Alpha says. ‘Not just for my daughter, but for my pack.’

‘What would you like to know?’

‘We all know what happened, but I need to hear it from you.’

Allison nods stiffly, her muscles tensing even more, and all Laura wants to do is wrap her arms around her, shield her from the pain she’s feeling right now.

They haven’t talked about it. Allison had started, their first date, but Laura had stopped her when she saw how much it pained her and said she didn’t have to know, that she could wait. Laura would have waited forever, if it meant not seeing this blank look on the girl’s face.

She moves her hand right next to where Allison is gripping the bench, not touching, but close enough so that Allison will know it’s there.

To her relief, the girl immediately links their pinkies and some of the tension drains out of her.

‘Two years ago, Kate tricked Peter into a relationship. Without telling him she was a hunter, she tried to get as much information about your pack as she could. He finally noticed something was off and tried to break it off with her. She hadn’t gotten what she wanted, but couldn’t convince him to take her back. She set his car on fire. With him in it.

‘He survived, but was severely burned and comatose for almost ten months. In that time, Kate was tried and convicted of attempted murder and arson.’

Allison’s voice is monotone, like she’s stating simple facts instead of one of the most painful memories she has. The girl is still outwardly calm, but her heartbeat is going crazy. Her scent has gone from nervous to grieved and angry. And by the tilt of her head, Laura can tell that her mother has noticed, too.

‘Why did your family move here? You knew this was Hale-territory.’

‘We had nowhere else to go. My father testified against Kate. We got cast out of the family. Everything seemed okay for a while, but my father started receiving threats. And when someone sabotaged the breaks on my car, we moved.’

Laura turns her head to look at Allison. She hadn’t know any of this. She knew Argent had testified against his sister, but she hadn’t known about the trouble that had come from it.

Allison has started pulling back again, unlacing their fingers and placing her hand in her lap, but Laura’s not having that. She grabs the girl’s hand and squeezes it tightly.

‘Thank you, Allison. Now, one final question,’ Talia says, her face serious, but a smile in her eyes. ‘What _are_ your intentions with my daughter?’

Conversation flows a little easier after that, and it doesn’t take long for Allison to relax a little more. The topic of hunting was no longer off limits either and her mother was very eager to hear Allison’s version of their first meeting.

‘I still can’t believe you shifted in front of a hunter,’ her mother says shaking her head. ‘Were you that eager to get naked in front of her?’

‘Were you?’ Allison asks, turning to face her.

‘How else was I supposed to convince her I was harmless?’ Laura officially hates her mom, and she’s no longer that fond of Allison either.

‘You’re a lot of things, Laura, but harmless isn’t one of them,’ the girl snorts.

‘I remember you destroying our couch when you were five,’ Talia adds. ‘Definitely not harmless. So what were you really trying to do?’

Laura looks from her mom to Allison. Both are grinning slyly, ready to twist any word that comes out of her mouth. ‘Oh my god, are you two ganging up on me? This is so unfair,’ she groans and lets her head drop onto the table.

Allison pats her on the head in mock compassion.

After another cup of coffee and a piece of cake, they say goodbye. Laura thinks it went really well. No body died or got hurt. There weren’t even any threats.

‘Allison,’ her mother says, when they’ve stepped out of the restaurant. ‘I like you. But most importantly, Laura likes you. If you ever hurt her I will tear you limb from limb.’

The Alpha flashes her eyes, then turns and walks to her car.

So close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


	7. Just Trees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really bad at tagging. If you think I forgot any, please let me know in the comments.

Allison’s been home for a week now. It hadn’t been easy at first, getting Allison’s parents to allow Laura to visit for more than an hour. Argent had warmed up to her a little, but Allison’s mom was still wary. Every time Laura came over she’d hover in the background, keeping a watchful eye on her daughter and the werewolf that had invaded her life.

Laura had simply let it happen. She was happy that Allison was okay and in her arms, and she couldn’t care less about the fact that Mrs. Argent was watching them like a hawk. She lived in a house full of werewolves, lack of privacy was nothing new to her. But Allison had soon had enough, and demanded to be left alone, or she’d make Laura carry her upstairs. Since then, Mrs. Argent could only occasionally be caught glancing at them from the kitchen.

But now, there are no hunter-moms keeping a watchful on them. And no hunter-dads being made to clean their guns at the table by said hunter-moms.

They’re lying in bed. It’s early and Allison is still asleep. It had been quite a novel experience the evening before. Laura had walked in through the front door, slipped quickly past a thunderous looking Victoria Argent and sprinted up the stairs. Allison had cried from laughter at how scared she’d looked.

‘Next time, I’m asking dad to make a picture of your face,’ she’d said wiping away the tears.

‘I hate you,’ Laura had muttered.

‘No, you don’t.’

Laura looks down at the girl resting her head on her shoulder. She really doesn’t hate her. She’s so in love with Allison it scares her sometimes. Not now, though. Now, she can’t stop smiling, and she can’t stop looking at her beautiful girlfriend.

The bruises have turned green and yellow and the larger cuts are still healing, but Allison looks like Allison again. There’s a small frown on her face, like she’s concentrating very hard on her dream.

It feels almost like a fairy-tale. It’s an early summer morning. The birds are singing. The filtered sunlight is shining through the curtains. The few rays of light that reach the bed, make Allison’s hair shine like bronze.

‘Stop staring at me,’ Allison mumbles into her shoulder. ‘It’s creepy.’

‘No.’

Allison looks up, lifting an eyebrow. ‘No?’

Laura shakes her head. She doesn’t think she could ever stop staring.

‘Fine, I’ll just stare back at you.’

The girl moves back a little so they’re looking each other straight in the eye. There’s a challenging look and a small smile on her face.

‘Are we having a staring contest?’ Laura asks.

‘Yes.’

‘What does the winner get?’

‘Breakfast in bed.’

‘Deal.’

She focusses on Allison’s eyes, lets herself get lost in them. She lets herself get lost in the moment. Allison’s scent surrounds her, has started to merge with her own, creating a new scent, the smell of jasmine blooming in the forest. She hears the girl’s heartbeat, a steady and comforting sound. Allison’s leg is pressed against hers, and a finger is trailing up her leg. When her girlfriend skims the skin right above the waistband of her shorts, Laura sighs and closes her eyes.

She snap them open again immediately and frowns at a smirking Allison.

‘You cheated!’

‘We didn’t set any rules.’

Laura can’t argue with that.

‘Fine, what do you want for breakfast?’

Allison’s smirk turns downright filthy, making Laura blush.

‘I thought you weren’t supposed to exert yourself?’

‘Don’t worry, I have an idea,’ Allison assures her, patting her thigh. ‘But first, more sleep. It’s too early to do anything yet.’

Laura pulls the girl back on top of her and buries her head in Allison’s hair. She rubs small circles on Allison’s back until the girl falls back asleep.

Laura looks around the room. It’s different from before the accident. The furniture and the colours are still the same, but so much has been added to it. There are pictures of the two them taped to the mirror. The necklace she gave Allison for her birthday is lying on the nightstand. Laura’s clothes are there as well. Not just the clothes she wore yesterday, but also the ones Allison had borrowed from her, all out in the open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


End file.
